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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29832516">march</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Set_Suna/pseuds/Set_Suna'>Set_Suna</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>it takes a discord server - SBI &amp; Co. IRL Fics [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>5+1 Things, Blood and Injury, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Dynamics, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Maybe a bit, Mental Health Issues, No Beta We Die Like Wilbur in Skyblockle, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Self-Worth Issues, TommyInnit-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Techno and Phil are here too but this ain't about them, as a treat, but watch me flip these tags around again</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:16:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,777</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29832516</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Set_Suna/pseuds/Set_Suna</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tommy somehow turns everyone he meets into an older sibling. It's a study Techno has been performing for months, with no conclusive results, most likely due to being affected by it himself. Watching people fall victim to this phenomenon is pretty entertaining, though.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alexis | Quackity &amp; TommyInnit, Charlie Dalgleish &amp; TommyInnit, Clay | Dream &amp; TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Jack Manifold &amp; TommyInnit, Ranboo &amp; TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Sapnap &amp; TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>it takes a discord server - SBI &amp; Co. IRL Fics [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2184753</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1782</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>march</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/qar/gifts">qar</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28159137">legion</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/qar/pseuds/qar">qar</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>SUP GANG!! This is a gift for the lovely qar Noorah one of my biggest writing inspirations and just an absolutely wonderful person. It's my take on a follow up to her fic <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28159137">legion</a> which is incredible and makes me soft, it's just everyone being Tommy's older sibling and I can only hope this does it equal justice. </p><p>I hope you guys enjoy it and to Noorah specifically I HOPE YOU LIKE IT!!! I APPRECIATE YOU SO MUCH!!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>1. Quackity</em>
</p><p>Being totally honest, Quackity didn’t know what to expect from meeting up with Tommy. When he announced he, Wilbur, and Phil were flying to California for a 4/4 Sleepy Bois meet up, his last thought was that he’d be invited to tag along. He really didn’t want to intrude, but apparently Charlie, Dream, and Sapnap were showing up, too, so it’d probably be fine. Might as well make the most of it, right?</p><p>The first morning they’d all go out as a group arrived, and he forced himself to be a morning person. The day of exploring Cali cityside beaches and window shopping was going to be amazing, even if he had to make it be himself. Like really, how could a day go wrong when you started it with restaurant breakfast? But, already surprised by how much more chill Tommy was in person, the kid managed to shock him again this early in the day.</p><p>He <em>really</em> didn’t expect to be sitting at breakfast, shoved in the corner of the booth, with TommyInnit asleep on his shoulder.</p><p>“Holy shit, those stories were <em>real?”</em> he whispered, carefully twisting to look at the teen pressed against him. </p><p>Wilbur was smirking at him across the table, obviously seeing how he was vaguely uncomfortable, or more just unsure. Tommy was taller than him by--admittedly--a good margin. He’d slouched down in his seat and curled towards Quackity just to rest his head on his shoulder. He shot Wil a look he wanted to seem annoyed, but he was more sure that it was just pleading. Wilbur elbowed Phil in the side, and the man turned to see Quackity’s somewhat unsettling situation. Phil just stifled a laugh behind his hand.</p><p>“Welcome to the club,” Wilbur muttered lightheartedly. </p><p>“Haha, funny, but <em>what do I do?”</em> Quackity hissed, suddenly very nervous.</p><p>“Move straight to acceptance,” Techno offered.</p><p>Phil gave him his first actual piece of advice. “Just relax. He literally does this all time, it really just means he trusts you.”</p><p>Trust, huh? Quackity melted a bit at the sentiment. Tommy did look relaxed, and the last thing he wanted to do now was wake him up. He slouched back against his seat, finding a more comfortable position for the both of them. He snaked his arm around Tommy’s shoulders, eyes widening a bit as the teen snuggled against his side.</p><p>“This kid…” he laughed as quietly as he could. </p><p>“Pet his head,” Wilbur suggested through a mouthful of bacon. “He’s literally a cat.”</p><p>Quackity eyed him uneasily, receiving a reassuring nod in response. Phil was watching them almost eagerly. He lifted his hand from Tommy’s shoulder, hesitated, then ran his fingers through his hair. He understood immediately. Tommy leaned into his touch, exhaling contently. He heard another muffled Phil laugh, but could not find any part of him that cared this time. He kept his eyes on Tommy as he repeated the motion. </p><p>There were multiple times Tommy had popped up in calls or in their DMs, asking him questions about his streams or just talking about random shit. He hadn’t really thought too hard on it before, but he did care about Tommy. He found himself in his Twitch chat a lot, making sure things were going alright in chat and on stream. He wanted to make sure Tommy could succeed and that he could do it safely. They’d never talked too much about emotional stuff, he knew Tommy would go to Wilbur or Phil for that, but that didn’t mean he didn’t realize when the kid was uncomfortable or hesitant on their Jackbox streams. Thinking about it, the word describing how Quackity felt was probably… protective. </p><p>Still, everyone finished their breakfast eventually. As the others slid out of the booth, Quackity reluctantly shook Tommy’s shoulder, smiling fondly when he grumbled and muttered something that sounded vaguely like “don’t wanna move”.</p><p>“Tommy, dude, the bus is leavin’,” he chuckled, running his fingers through the kid’s hair again. “You don’t wanna miss the whole day, do you?”</p><p>Tommy groaned, but peeled himself from Quackity’s side. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and let Quackity gently nudge him out of the booth. Tommy stood, stretched, then immediately went and knocked his head against Wilbur’s shoulder. The older man just smiled and wrapped his arms around Tommy in a hug, like this was the most normal thing in the world. Quackity would be lying if he said his heart wasn’t a little warmed. </p><p>“So… he’s just like this?” Quackity asked, staring between Phil and Techno.</p><p>“Yep,” Techno answered shortly.</p><p>“You’d think he never sleeps,” Phil commented, shaking his head.</p><p>“I think he saves up hours just for times like this,” Techno quipped, making Phil burst into laughter. Quackity smiled, only turning away when Sapnap threw an arm over his shoulder, loudly asking what was so funny. </p><p>Okay, maybe he understood the whole brother thing.</p><p>-</p><p>
  <em>2. Charlie</em>
</p><p>The heat had truly started to settle in as the sun rose to its highest peak, effectively melting the Europeans. Charlie couldn’t blame them, the heat could be brutal if you weren’t used to it. So after fifteen minutes of searching, they found solace in the air conditioning of some weird combination souvenir-ice cream shop. While the others scanned the menu and argued over the best flavors, Charlie lazily gazed over the souvenirs lining the walls. It was all the basics: t-shirts, hoodies, water bottles, hats. His eyes caught on a portion of just different keychains, where Tommy was staring contemplatively. He slipped away from the back of the group, moving to stand beside Tommy as he judged each keychain individually.</p><p>“Personally, I think I’d go with the palm tree,” he said, seeing Tommy jump out of the corner of his eye. “It’s got a grace to it that’ll make it fit on any keychain.”</p><p>Tommy huffed a laugh and turned back to the keychain wall. “Oh yeah?”</p><p>“Yeah man, look at it. It’s poised and stylish and just full of color,” Charlie continued, slipping one on his finger and spinning it around. “Perfect for any keyring, I’d say.”</p><p>Tommy hummed, considering it while he continued to examine the options. Charlie had never seen someone so critical of a keychain, and he didn’t think Tommy would be the person to be a picky decorator. His expression was incredibly serious for someone standing in a combination souvenir-ice cream shop. Charlie slid the keychain off his finger and back to its spot on the wall.</p><p>“Who’s this for, anyway?” he asked. “I feel like if you wanted one of these you’d have picked it out by now.” </p><p>“Oh, uh, it's for Tubbo,” Tommy answered sheepishly. “Since he couldn’t come, he made me promise to bring ‘im something back.” </p><p>Charlie nodded sagely. “I see, I see, the classic best-friend-vacation gift. This is a very important matter.” </p><p>“Yeah, I don’t wanna get ‘im something he wouldn’t like, y’know?” Tommy mumbled, averting his gaze from the keychains to the floor. </p><p>Tommy was… really worried about this. If there was one thing Charlie learned about Tommy so far, it was that he’s incredibly cautious of other people and their feelings. All day, he’d been slightly hesitant to pull out his camera and vlog, but got into his content-creator-persona as soon as the rest of them began playing along. When anyone pulled out their phone for a picture, he’d try to shove himself in somehow, whether it be legitimately or a photobomb in the background. Really, even online he was the exact same way. During their recordings of his mod videos, he always made sure everyone was happy and actually enjoying it. He knew Tommy could be more subdued and chilled out, but seeing him be anxious over getting a gift for his best friend was something Charlie didn’t exactly like. </p><p>“Okay, then let's think this through,” he started, clapping his hands together. Tommy’s head snapped up to look at him, surprised, and Charlie grinned. He was about to make this kid’s goddamn day. “Honestly, I don’t think Tubbo’d care what you got him. I think he’d love it just because you got it for him. But, I know you care about what to get him. You want it to be perfect. So, let's start with basics. Out of all these things, what do you think Tubbo would like the best?” </p><p>Starting with Tommy’s opinion, they shuffled through the different souvenirs, working out the best possible gift for Tubbo. They ignored the keychains, because those were obviously a bust, and chose between the other items. </p><p>Charlie couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had spurred him into such action. Tommy was trying so hard, and he thought it was admirable. He listened to his opinion and answered carefully with what he thought. He asked Charlie if Tubbo would like certain things he saw, and though he didn’t know the kid as well as Tommy did, he gave him his best opinion. He had never focused on finding the perfect gift like he was taking a calculus exam, but there was always a time for firsts. If Tommy was gonna take this seriously, he wasn’t gonna downplay his emotions. He’d rev up his own and match his energy. It’s what he always did, really. </p><p>Finally, they found it. Charlie watched as Tommy’s eyes landed on a jewelry rack and his face instantly lit up. That was the look of knowing <em>oh yes, this is the one.</em> He slipped through two circular shirt racks and peeked over Tommy’s shoulder. He’d plucked two woven thread bracelets off one of the spinning displays, one a mix of greens and yellows, the other a colorful red, orange, and white. Charlie’d be dumb if he didn’t recognize the meaning, and god if it didn’t melt his heart a bit.</p><p>“That’s gotta be it,” he encouraged sincerely. “I am not joking, Tommy you have found the masterclass of gifts.” </p><p>“Hell yes,” he agreed simply, smiling bright enough to outshine the sun. </p><p>In sudden inspiration, Charlie reached forward and swiped the bracelets from Tommy’s hands. He exclaimed, “Hey!” in protest, but Charlie wasn’t listening. He held the bracelets behind his back as Tommy reached for them, shaking his head. </p><p>“Nah nah nah, I’m paying for these,” he declared, grinning as Tommy leaned back in disbelieving shock. “A gift from me to you, yeah?”</p><p>Tommy sputtered, “I-I can’t let you do that. I mean, at least let me pay you back.”</p><p>“Buy my ice cream and we have a deal,” Charlie offered, eyeing Tommy expectantly. </p><p>Tommy matched his gaze defiantly, bringing them into a staring contest. Tommy’s eyes were serious, as if losing this contest would wound his status as a “big man”. Charlie was determined not to break either way, and he won seconds later when Tommy broke into a fit of laughter. Charlie followed right after, unable to resist laughing along with him. He smiled warmly, watching as Tommy wiped tears from his eyes. He acted on instinct, reaching to ruffle Tommy’s hair. </p><p>“Go get your ice cream, I’ll pay for these and I’ll meet you there,” he said, voice more affectionate than he expected.</p><p>Tommy nodded, still catching his breath, and headed for the ice cream counter. Charlie sighed and shook his head. He turned on his heel and headed for checkout. The two bracelets in his hand felt as precious as a baby, like if he dropped them they’d be ruined, with significantly less consequences. In a way, he was proud. He’d helped make this happen. He glanced over, watching as Tommy excitedly reunited with the rest of the group. The last of them were getting their orders, and Tommy instantly began animatedly talking about what he was about to get. </p><p>Walking by the keychain wall, Charlie grabbed one of those palm trees. It wouldn’t hurt his wallet to pay for a little bit more. It hurt even less knowing who it was for.</p><p>-</p><p>
  <em>3. Dream</em>
</p><p>The day had flown by way too fast. As the saying went, time flies when you’re having fun, and this had to be one of the funnest days in Dream’s life. Meeting so many of his friends for the first time was incredible. It went so much better than he ever could have hoped. It was kind of relieving in a way, letting people know that yes, he actually had a face. It made everything feel a lot more real. Not that it wasn’t before, but this put things in a whole new perspective.</p><p>He’d been caught up in people watching for most of the day, when they weren’t in the middle of some kind of activity or conversation. He took note of everyone’s different mannerisms and posture and how they reacted to certain things. Wilbur was quick to respond to touch or in helping a joke along. Quackity’s posture would change depending on how engaged he was in a conversation. Techno was somehow stiff and relaxed at the same time, in a way that seemed vaguely anxious, and Dream couldn’t imagine the amount of energy that took up. </p><p>Tommy, on the other hand, was an interesting case. He was always toeing some strange invisible line. He tested boundaries tentatively, only charging ahead when it seemed like he had the go ahead from someone else. He only initiated touch when he was confident in it, or if it was with Wilbur, Phil, or Techno. Tommy on the other side of the screen radiated confidence. He was calm and careful then, too, but Dream could still feel his streaming air coming off of him. Standing in front of Tommy, seeing the cautious and chill side of him up close, made it seem more deliberate than casual, something he did actively instead of something that came naturally to him. He was still loud, brash, hilarious Tommy, without a doubt, but there was something else there. Something seeded in him that made it all feel a bit off. </p><p>Dream was thinking about that now, lagging at the back of the group as they made the trek back to their hotel. He was enjoying the reprieve from the constant flow of energy, letting his thoughts take him wherever they wanted. He only snapped himself out of them when he noticed another blonde head falling into step beside him. Tommy had joined him at the rear of the pack, a lazy smile on his face as he listened to whatever the others were talking about. Dream hadn’t been listening for the past ten minutes, so he decided to start his own conversation. </p><p>“How ya feelin’, Tommy?” he asked, slinging an arm around the teen’s shoulders. “Is America everything you thought it’d be?”</p><p>He didn’t miss how Tommy tensed for a second, realised he was fine, then let himself lean into Dream’s side. Tommy grinned and answered tiredly, “I’m doing great, big man. And America is shit, just like I thought.”</p><p>“Oh, come on now, that can’t be true,” he argued. “I know how much fun you had today. You can’t deny me there.”</p><p>Tommy shrugged, a long yawn escaping him as he replied, “Guess not. Today was really cool.”</p><p>Dream filtered a laugh through his nose, exhaling shortly. Tommy was practically asleep on his feet. Dream wasn’t sure the kid would stay standing if he took his arm off his shoulders. It was much more endearing than Dream expected it to be.</p><p>“You gonna make it back? Or are you gonna start sleepwalking before we hit the next intersection?” Dream chuckled, jostling Tommy lightly. </p><p>“‘ll be fine,” Tommy mumbled, shaking his head. “‘M a man, I can take it.”</p><p>Dream had his doubts. Considering how he fell asleep on Quackity at breakfast that morning and his regular energy levels, he would probably pass out as soon as his head hit a pillow. Or maybe as soon as they stopped and waited for a crosswalk. He listened to the sound of the others mingling with the ocean waves for a moment, and came to a decisive conclusion. </p><p>“Want a ride?” he asked, tilting his head to gauge Tommy’s reaction. </p><p>He mostly just looked confused, followed by a confirming, “What?”</p><p>“I’ll carry you,” Dream explained warmly. “You seem like you could use the rest.”</p><p>Tommy forced himself to wake up a bit, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and blinking hard. He shook his head again, instantly looked dazed, and insisted, “You don’t have to do that, really, I’ll be alright.”</p><p>Dream rolled his eyes. He stopped them both and crouched down, nodding reassuringly. Tommy stared back at him uncertainly, returning back to that weird cautiousness Dream didn’t know the reason for. He spun on the soles of his feet, facing Tommy and looking up at him. </p><p>“Trust me, Tommy, I just wanna help you a bit. I can tell you’re tired, and I don’t want you wearing yourself out more than you have to,” he said quietly. He offered up a hand with a smirk and joked, “Unless you don’t think I can carry you.” </p><p>Tommy huffed, taking his turn to roll his eyes. He snatched Dream’s hand out of the air and grumbled, “Fine, only because you seem to want me to so badly. You’re kind of clingy, Dream.”</p><p>Dream barked a laugh then, tugging Tommy towards him and letting him climb on his back. Once he was sure he was secure, he stood up and started to catch up to the others. Tommy’s arms were wrapped around his neck, and he could feel the teen rest his cheek against his shoulder. He heard him exhale quietly, settling in for the trip. </p><p>“Told you I could do it,” Dream jeered softly. “Techno said you’re mostly bone, and I’m just a little inclined to believe him.”</p><p>“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Tommy mumbled, waving a hand weakly in front of Dream’s face. “I have so many muscles.” </p><p>Another laugh escaped his lips. “Yeah?”</p><p>“Mhm. I am… incredibly powerful…” Tommy trailed off, and Dream was also inclined to believe that he’d just fallen asleep mid-thought. </p><p>It didn’t take long to reach the back of the group again. They had gotten stopped at one of the godforsaken crosswalks and were waiting for the big red hand to turn to the little white man. As he approached the group, he ended up locking eyes with Wilbur, who’s eyes widened like he’d just seen the most adorable thing in the world. Suddenly, his expression hardened, and he turned to Techno and roughly elbowed his side.</p><p>“What’s your secret? What do you and Dream have that I don’t?” he asked, all business. </p><p>Techno wheezed, turning to look at Dream and the child sleeping on his back and laughing softly. He shrugged and replied, “I dunno, Wil, apparently Tommy’s picky with who can carry him while he sleeps.”</p><p>“We’re just built different,” Dream added, raising his fist to bump it against Techno’s when it was offered.</p><p>Wilbur huffed and dramatically turned away, a grin obvious on his face. Dream chuckled, glancing over his shoulder to try and see how Tommy was doing. He was really fast asleep. He’d snuggled himself against Dream’s back and tightened his grip around his neck slightly. Dream didn’t mind. He found that a fond smile never left his face the entire way home. </p><p>-</p><p>
  <em>4. Sapnap</em>
</p><p>There was something about hotel balconies that made you feel nostalgic. At least, that’s how Sapnap felt right now. Staring up at the stars, all he could think about was how thankful he was for this trip. He had a lot more fun than he thought he would, being totally honest. Turns out, interacting with everyone in person was just as easy as doing it online. He’d had his reservations about it at first, but now he was glad Dream had dragged him along for the ride.</p><p>The night air was cool, compared to the heat of the hotel room behind him, thanks to how many people were currently cooped up in it. He’d stepped outside for some fresh air and a moment of silence. Contrary to popular belief, computer screens did not bar levels of chaos, and despite his insistence, Sapnap was more introverted than the opposite. Sometimes a moment of quiet was all you needed to recharge, then he could go back to being loud and joking with the others. </p><p>He really didn’t anticipate things going so smoothly. Communicating was easier through voice calls, but it’d been just as easy once they were all together in person. He didn’t know why he ever thought things would be weird. The people they came to see would never let it get anywhere near that, if there was anything they could do about it. </p><p>The sound of the sliding glass door caught his attention and dragged him out of his fond reminiscing. He twisted from where he was leaning on the balcony’s railing to see who had joined him. He couldn’t stop the smile forming on his face as Tommy slid the door closed behind him. He looked up at Sapnap, then, pausing like a deer in headlights. </p><p>“Oh, uh, sorry,” he stuttered, already reaching back towards the door handle. “I can leave if you wanted to be alone-”</p><p>“Tommy, dude, it’s fine,” Sapnap laughed. He waved Tommy over with his hand. “You can chill with me.”</p><p>“Oh, alright,” Tommy mumbled nervously, hesitantly stepping over and joining Sapnap at the railing.</p><p>The moon was bright, which allowed Sapnap to see Tommy just fine this late at night. He still looked tired, despite his impromptu nap on the walk back. His hands fidgeted restlessly, tapping against the metal railing or tugging at his hoodie sleeves. He had a lot of nervous energy, not the wild and chaotic energy Sapnap tended to associate with him. He hadn’t ever really seen Tommy act so placidly before. He was used to more action and noise with him, but this trip was making him reconsider multiple things about Tommy. Dream had brought it up to him when they’d gotten back to their room, the little things he’d noticed throughout the day. The kid had a lot more going on in his head than he let on. </p><p>“A little too much for you too, huh?” Sapnap asked, staring at the wisps of clouds floating by the stars. </p><p>“Ah, yeah,” Tommy agreed, a bit awkward. “A bit of peace and quiet is just nice sometimes, yeah?”</p><p>“Yeah. Spending a whole day with those idiots would give anyone else a headache,” Sapnap joked, grinning when it made Tommy laugh. “You gotta be a special type of person to survive that.”</p><p>“Does that make us that ‘special type of person’?”</p><p>“Looks like it.”</p><p>Tommy chuckled and shook his head, looking away from his hands to take in the sky. “What the fuck have we gotten ourselves into?”</p><p>“To be fair to them, we are also part of those idiots,” Sapnap brought up. </p><p>“Shit,” Tommy said after a moment. </p><p>Unable to stop himself, Sapnap burst into laughter, Tommy following right along. When he could finally breathe again, he leaned over, bumping his shoulder against Tommy’s. </p><p>“For real, though, how’re you holding up? You were conked out on Dream’s back barely an hour ago,” Sapnap questioned, tilting his head forward to get a good look at Tommy’s face. </p><p>He shrugged, answering casually, “I’m alright. Don’t wanna ruin everyone else’s fun, y’know? I mean, the nap helped, definitely feelin’ a bit recharged.”</p><p>Didn’t wanna “ruin everyone else’s fun”, huh? Sapnap thought he was catching on to what was happening here. Tommy was very conscientious, which came hand in hand with him being so mature, Sapnap guessed. His brain was probably always running a mile a minute, making sure he never did anything that would hurt or bother someone. He’d seen examples of it all day. He never brought out his camera until one of them gave him the okay, he seemed to take an extra second to think out his actions, and he’d experienced up close how Tommy would start a joke, regret it, and back out. It was a weird balance of stream Tommy and regular Tommy, one Sapnap was considering for the first time in his life.</p><p>Now, Tommy’s expression looked restrained, like he was holding back from whatever he was really feeling. Sapnap wondered if he was trying to seem more in it just to appease him. A very loud part of him couldn’t stand the thought.</p><p>“Dude, no one’d care if you wanted to sleep,” Sapnap told him sincerely. “I mean, being honest, they’d probably tease you a bit, but not anything they’d actually mean. We could’ve just gone to someone else’s room, it wouldn’t be that troubling.” </p><p>Tommy winced, looking back down at his hands as they wrapped around the balcony rails. “Yeah, I just… don’t want ‘em to worry. If staying up can help me avoid that, then I’ll deal with being tired and shit.”</p><p>“No offense, Tommy, but that’s kinda stupid.” When Tommy looked at him in pure confusion, he explained, “You’re just hurting yourself more that way, and that’s what’s gonna make people worry, not that you got more tired before them.”</p><p>Tommy averted his gaze, lips pursed. He made a vaguely distressed noise and groaned softly, running a hand through his hair. Sapnap heard his heartbeat in his chest, feeling a bit of panic start to settle over him. Did he say something wrong? Was Tommy actually upset? He turned to face Tommy fully, suddenly feeling very concerned.</p><p>“Hey, it's alright, we just want you to take care of yourself,” Sapnap started. “I didn’t mean-”</p><p>“No, it's fine, I-I know you’re right,” Tommy interrupted him, rubbing his eyes. </p><p>Sapnap deflated, relieved, and slung an arm around Tommy’s shoulders. Tommy leaned into his side and let his hands fall from his face. He huffed, rubbing a hand across his cheek. </p><p>“Sorry,” Tommy mumbled dejectedly. “I just--I wanna show that I can take care of myself. That they don’t have to constantly look out for me.”</p><p>Sapnap had a feeling that last sentence was directed at a few people in particular. </p><p>“Don’t apologize, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Sapnap countered quietly. Tommy was taller than him by a good couple of inches. It was only thanks to his slouching on the railing he was able to rest his head on top of Tommy’s. “And you shouldn’t have to rely on just yourself to take care of everything, you’re still a kid. You have people willing to help you. I wouldn’t be so quick to turn them away.” </p><p>Tommy flattened his lips into a line, staring at the pool below them contemplatively. He blinked and said, “You’re the second youngest person here, you can’t call me a child.” </p><p>Sapnap wheezed out his next breath, not at all expecting that response. He squeezed Tommy’s shoulders and sighed, “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’m still, like, four years older than you. I’m the wise one here, take my advice.” </p><p>“Fine,” Tommy groaned halfheartedly. He smiled when he added, “I’ll keep it in mind.”</p><p>-</p><p>
  <em>5. Ranboo</em>
</p><p>Ranboo wasn’t sure how he’d ended up here, exactly. By process of elimination, it was just pure coincidence. They’d just had a day of streaming on the Origins server, and nearly everyone was offline now. The only two people still in the voice chat were him and Tommy. They were sitting in a silence Ranboo wasn’t sure was awkward or comfortable. It’s been a few minutes since Ranboo had ended his stream, but neither of them made any move to leave. He still had Minecraft open, doing some mindless chest organizing while focusing on something else completely. </p><p>Really, he wasn’t sure where he stood with Tommy. He thought they were friends, he’d like to believe they were. They weren’t especially close, but they did talk outside of content creation regularly enough. That seemed like friendship to Ranboo. If it wasn’t, then he had a lot of relationships to rethink. </p><p>It seemed weirder the more Ranboo thought about it. They’d both had shocking rises to fame. They were both teenagers, they were still in high school--or, college, in Tommy’s case. They’d flown higher than any of their role models, and Ranboo was sure Tommy felt the same sort of surrealism that came with it. On a lesser scale, they were both good friends with the same person. Well, Ranboo didn’t think he’d surpass Tubbo and Tommy’s friendship any time soon, or ever, but they were still close. It was a surprise that him and Tommy didn’t hang out more. </p><p>His thoughts were dragged back to the current moment by a groan coming through his headphones. Tommy had broken their strange silence, sounding mildly annoyed and slightly miserable. </p><p>“What’s up?” Ranboo asked, tilting his head to stare at his freshly organized storage. </p><p>“I swear, I’m gonna fuckin’ uninstall Twitter,” Tommy grumbled, followed by the sound of shuffling. </p><p>“I doubt that,” Ranboo stated flatly. </p><p>“Yeah, I wouldn’t, but sometimes…” Tommy groaned again. Ranboo tabbed out of Minecraft to watch the green circle light up around Tommy’s profile picture. “Sometimes people just suck.”</p><p>Ranboo sat up in his chair, actually a bit worried now. “Did something happen?” </p><p>“People keep replying to that fuckin’ thread with you, me, and Tubbo,” he grumbled. “It’s not really a big deal.” </p><p>“It doesn’t sound like ‘not really a big deal’,” Ranboo mumbled back. </p><p>He knew the aforementioned thread Tommy was talking about. They’d gone through another bit where Tommy acted jealous of him and Tubbo, having another passive-aggressive roast fest for all their fans to see. He always worried about those threads, that people would take them seriously or that he’d cross some line he didn’t know was there. Tommy told him they were funny, that they didn’t bother him and they got him likes, so he went along with it. </p><p>Tommy sighed, and Ranboo thought he could imagine him hanging his head. He spoke up quietly, “D’you… D’you ever have those days where things that usually wouldn’t bother you suddenly bother you a lot more than you thought they would?”</p><p>“Yes,” he answered instantly. He blinked, remembering he was supposed to be comforting someone here, not be relatable. He focused himself, leaning his elbows on his desk, and prodded, “Are you looking at the replies?” </p><p>“They-They don’t <em>mean</em> anything, y’know? It’s all just a bunch of useless bullshit,” Tommy grumbled, sounding somewhat uncomfortable. “But sometimes it-it makes me think, like, what if we… what if we <em>are</em> growing apart?” </p><p>And Ranboo instantly felt like a horrible human being. Tommy was right, the majority of their replies were just complete nonsense, but sometimes one of them would hit the right chord in the wrong way and leave you feeling gross. He knew how much more time he and Tubbo spent on stream together lately, the entire nature of what they did never let them forget it. The last thing he wanted to do was make Tommy feel bad. He couldn’t stop thinking that this was partially his fault, that he was intruding on something that he shouldn’t be. </p><p>“I’m sorry,” he blurted, this sudden guilt controlling his words. “I-I can stop with the jokes and everything if it just… I don’t know, hurts you, or whatever, I-I don’t want to make you feel bad.” </p><p>“What the fuck?” Tommy whispered in disbelief. “What the hell are you talking about?” </p><p>“I know I just showed up out of nowhere and started hanging out with Tubbo like it didn’t really matter, but-but it does,” he rambled, not sure he was even making sense. He felt like something had broken and he just wanted to fix it. “You guys are best friends and I-I don’t wanna devalue that. I barely have a right to be here but everyone keeps dragging me along, so-”</p><p>“Okay, Ranboo, I need you to shut up,” Tommy interrupted, and Ranboo immediately snapped his mouth shut. He made it worse. He made it worse, didn’t he? He heard Tommy sigh. He didn’t move a muscle, he didn’t even breathe. He didn’t have any idea on how to fix this. Before he could open his mouth to apologize again, Tommy exhaled, saying, “You didn’t fuckin’ do anything wrong. I literally do not care how much you talk to Tubbo. Just because we don’t stream together all the time anymore doesn’t mean we’ve stopped being friends.” He paused, took a breath, and muttered, “Bad days are just bad days. I told you I’d be fine so… don’t blame yourself for how I’m feeling.” </p><p>Ranboo released a shaky breath. “Okay. I was just… worried, I guess. I still mean it, though, just tell me if it all gets too much and I’ll stop.” </p><p>“Alright,” Tommy responded quietly. </p><p>For some reason, despite feeling relieved about clearing things up, he couldn’t let that bit of concern go. He didn’t want to linger on it or make Tommy feel even worse, so he decided to do what every kid their age did and deflect with humour. </p><p>“And maybe stop looking at Twitter replies,” he added lightly. “The amount of brain cells there is bound to give anyone mental damage.” </p><p>Tommy burst into laughter, his signature cackle for once setting Ranboo at ease. </p><p>-</p><p>
  <em>6. Jack</em>
</p><p>Jack was having a rather peaceful night. He’d just finished up his stream, another day on the Dream SMP done and past. He was closing all his tabs and slowly shifting into chill-mode. He yawned and reached his arms above his head in a stretch. It was a pretty good day, all in all. </p><p>Discord had been rather quiet all day, too. Everyone was busy or doing their own thing for once. Not that it was a bad thing, but it did feel a little strange. It wasn’t too often Jack went a whole day without a DM or a server <em>@everyone.</em> Maybe he felt a little lonely, but Jack Manifold could take it. One day with just himself and his chat wasn’t that bad. </p><p>The sudden ringing of a Discord call echoed in his ears and rattled his brain, startling him out of his peaceful state. He blinked his eyes into focus, scanning his screen to see who was calling him. The notification popped up next to Tommy’s name, which Jack was a little surprised to see. Of all the people who could finally contact him today, he guessed Tommy wasn’t really that strange. He opened their messages and joined the call, the bubbly ringtone going silent. </p><p>“Ayup Tommy,” Jack greeted, the word becoming a habit. </p><p>“Jack, I have a problem,” Tommy said instead of ‘hello’. </p><p>He sat up in his chair, hearing the anxiety in Tommy’s voice, or maybe it was closer to fear. He moved to turn on his camera as he saw Tommy’s appear. </p><p>“Oh, shit,” Jack mumbled, eyes widening. </p><p>The first thing he saw was Tommy, standing about a foot away from his desk, chair shoved somewhere to the side. He held his wrist in one hand, his other hand splayed open stiffly with a fresh cut down the middle of his palm. His hands were shaking, his eyes wide and genuinely scared in a way Jack had never seen from him before. He forced himself to look away from Tommy and see what else he could identify. It didn’t take long to find the source of Tommy’s wounded hand. The cabinet pushed against the wall of his room had a shattered pane, and Jack could only assume where the rest of the glass was.</p><p>“What happened?” he asked, looking to Tommy for some sort of clarification.</p><p>“I-I kinda-” Tommy swallowed, took another step back, further away from the cabinet, “-shut the thing too hard and-and it just fuckin’ <em>shattered.</em> Then I went into, like, autopilot, and tried to clean it up and now-”</p><p>He cut himself off with a sharp inhale. He looked like he was on the verge of tears. Jack felt his heart constrict in his chest. He had to do something, be a responsible adult and help the panicking kid in front of him. </p><p>“Hey, Tommy, it’s-it’s gonna be okay, alright?” Jack started, gripping the seat of his chair to ease his nerves. “Are your parents home? Or are you by yourself?”</p><p>Tommy shook his head. “‘M by myself.”</p><p>“Then you need to listen to me, okay?” He waited until Tommy nodded to continue, “I’ll help you through this. We need to take care of that cut on your hand first. Do you know where a first aid kit is?” </p><p>“It’s, um, in the bathroom,” Tommy answered him. He finally looked away from what Jack presumed was the glass on the floor and up at him, eyes watery and voice tight. “Should I get it?”</p><p>“Yes, exactly, but wash your hand with warm water while you’re in there. Dry it and wrap it in a towel before you come back. Don’t worry about the blood, it’ll wash out just fine,” Jack told him. “I’ll be right here waiting when you get back and I’ll tell you what to do.”</p><p>“O-Okay,” Tommy exhaled. He looked as if he had to force his feet to move as he skirted the glass and disappeared down the hall. </p><p>Jack heaved a breath, resting his head in his hands. He pushed his palms against his forehead, closing his eyes and trying to calm himself down. His hands were cold, despite his PC humming with life right beside him. Fuckin’ <em>hell</em> he was worried. He hoped Tommy wouldn’t fly into a full blown panic where Jack couldn’t see him or talk to him or help him. He hoped that first aid kit had enough supplies. He hoped Tommy could find it. He dug his nails into his scalp, taking another shaking breath. He hoped Tommy came back soon. </p><p>“Found it,” Tommy’s voice announced, making Jack’s head snap up. </p><p>Jack released the breath he was holding and scooted closer to his desk, watching as Tommy dragged his chair back into view and slowly sat down. He’d wrapped his hand like Jack asked, so he took that as a good sign. </p><p>“Alright, look for the gauze in there. You need to hold that against the cut and wrap it tight with some medical tape,” Jack instructed, slow and clear to make sure Tommy heard him.</p><p>He kept a close eye on Tommy as he followed his directions. Tommy’s hands trembled throughout the entire process, and he didn’t mention it when he saw a tear escape down his cheek. There was something Jack was missing here, but he could try to get him to open up about it later. Tommy’s safety took priority. He encouraged Tommy and praised him for his work when he had finished bandaging his cut with maybe a bit more padding than needed, but too much was better than not enough. It took a little coaxing to get Tommy to stand up again and actually clean up the glass. Jack would’ve done it for him in a heartbeat, but that just wasn’t possible. So instead he just watched as Tommy jerkily and awkwardly swept the glass from his carpet into a dustpan, dumping the larger shards in the bin in the corner of his room when he was done. Once he’d hoovered up any smaller pieces still there, he sat back down in his chair. Jack’s heart hurt as Tommy sniffled, rubbing at his teary eyes. </p><p>“You alright, mate?” he asked softly. </p><p>“Could be better,” Tommy mumbled sadly, “but thanks. Sorry for being a bother.”</p><p>“You’re not a bother, Tommy. I’m glad you called,” Jack insisted, smiling at Tommy when he looked up at his monitor. “If you ever need help again, feel free to ring me, alright?”</p><p>Tommy sniffled again, catching a fallen tear with a knuckle across his cheek. His voice trembled when he responded, “Yeah, I-I will.”</p><p>“Good,” Jack sighed, relieved. He leaned back in his chair, hoping he could get his heart to beat slower and calm down. He asked, “Do you want to talk about it? Or do you just wanna sit and chill with me for a bit?”</p><p>Tommy pulled his knees into his chair and held them against his chest. He rested his cheek on his knee and sighed, seemingly thinking about something. Jack had the inexplicable urge to hug him. It was frustrating that he couldn’t. </p><p>“Sitting sounds nice,” Tommy decided, sounding less like he was about to cry and more like he was calming down. </p><p>Jack hummed, readying himself to settle in his chair for a little while longer. “Sitting it is, then.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Everyone cares Tommy and you can never take that from me. </p><p>I appreciate any and all comments/kudos/bookmarks you choose to leave! </p><p>You can follow my <a href="https://quibbels.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a> for fic updates and my <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/quiblii">twitter</a> to see more stuff from me!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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